Perfection Through Silence
by CorvusCaminus
Summary: An annoying alliance forces her under his care. She’s sarcastic and tricky by nature. He’s collected and brooding by choice. But, who’s using who?
1. Chapter 1

Ahhh, and here I am with the revised Perfection Through Silence. I think it's a bit better than the last one, and I hope you do too. But, I won't ask for a review until the last chapter (which is still chapter three, sorry).

Have fun.

Disclaimer: Yeah. Right. That'll happen.

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Charcoal scratched against paper, a raspy sound that managed to be both consoling and irritating at the same time. The noise was ignored by the holder of the pencil as green eyes stared at the small cluster of building and fields that made up a rural village. Pink petals and deep-purple hair swirled in front of those emerald eyes. A sigh escaped parted lips and a wrist cracked as it rolled in its joints.

"Satori!"

"What?" the person hissed irritably, the voice obviously female. The annoyed tone belied a quick wit and painfully sarcastic nature. Grumbling, she nimbly wove her way through the branches of the blossoming shidarezakura, her sketchpad tucked under one arm. She'd shoved the pencil in one of the giant pockets of her black cotton pants, legs rolled up to her knees. The soft leather of her boots thudded onto the yielding earth, new green grass crumpling under her weight. As Satori quickly crossed the small yard, the offended sprouts bounced back into place.

Sliding the well-greased glass door out of her way, Satori's eyes scanned the house for the woman who'd yelled for her.

"Yes?" she called, her voice now serene, and walked through the small living room and into the stylish kitchen. Cooked meat and vegetables, mingled with an assortment of spices made her mouth water. Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since her scant breakfast, nine hours ago.

"I need you to go into town to get me some parsley, along with garlic, if there is any, Satori." Satori cupped her face on her hand as she leaned against the marble countertop and tilted her head.

"Why does being your daughter entitle me to also double as your servant?" she asked lightly, her eyes dancing. Matching eyes looked back at her.

"Because this is my house," the pleasantly plump woman replied, shaking a threateningly sharp cutting knife in Satori's direction. Even at a stout five-foot three-inches, her mother was a formidable person, with her brown hair in a tight bun on top of her head. Her thin lips always seemed to frown at others. Slight wrinkles lined her face, evidence of a laborious life, but light still twinkled in her eyes. "I assume you have money enough for your little task?"

"Yes, ma'am," Satori answered.

"Then shoo." The girl stuck her tongue out childishly before flashing a grin and making her way out the front door. She heard her mother sniff as Satori padded across the hardwood floors with her shoes on. A smile quirked the ends of her lips as she imagined the comments she'd receive for that. _'You're tracking dirt through my clean house, Satori.' _Oh, how many times had she been through that reprimand?

The spring breeze blew her white over shirt around her frame. The color made her lightly tanned skin look darker than it actually was. The unbuttoned fabric revealed a lithe torso, covered in a green cami. Satori idly hummed to herself, kicking a rock down the dirt road that lead from the outskirts of town into the heart of the village. Smaller paths lead to the main street, tributaries that traveled to other homes. Identical belts of green lined the worn road before upgrading into trees. A scant flow of people slowly started as she neared the market of the village. As she walked, Satori realized something.

"It's a little quiet," she murmured to herself. Her eyes glanced over at the trees. The normal chatter and chirping of birds was gone, replaced by the scratching of leaves as the wind brushed them against each other. The tapping of her shoes on the hard ground shouldn't be as loud as it was. She furrowed her brow, the wheels in her brain turning with possibilities. Someone called out, yet again, and pulled her away from her thoughts. Yet again.

Satori's feet planted themselves in place as she looked in the direction of the voice. She looked at the voice's carrier, her face curious and eyes suspicious. The man must have been in his mid twenties, with a handsome face. His plain brown hair was shaggy, framing plain brown eyes. He was thin to the point of lanky. Satori mentally sighed.

"Teppei," she acknowledged.

"Hey, babe," he replied with a fake smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He didn't seem to notice when she shrugged it off. "What's a pretty thing like you doing here?"

"Walking," she answered dryly, continuing to do just that.

"Alone?"

"That happens when your mother tells you to buy something." Satori's tone was laced with annoyance, exhaustion, and a definite 'get the hell away from me' inflection. To her surprise, Teppei actually picked up on her mood.

"Aw, why so distant, babe?" he asked, pulling in front of her to block her path. Satori repressed an aggravated growl.

"Because you're getting on my nerves," she said bluntly.

"You know, you've never given me a chance," he continued suggestively, stepping close to her. When she moved to step back, he put a restraining hand in her dark hair. He tilted her head up to make her look at him. His eyes traced over the violet that shone in the sun.

"I might consider once you get it through that thick head of yours that I'm not having sex with you," she hissed in reply. Teppei's expression changed and she could feel his grip on her tighten. Acting on reflex, her fist slammed into the side of his face. Instantly, he let her go and she grabbed his arm, twirling behind him and bending his arm along his spine. "Until then, you keep losing points."

"Why must you play hard-to-get?" he asked, a slight strain in his voice. He didn't know when to quit. She pulled his arm up farther along his back and his face twisted.

"Jack-off," she spat, and placed her booted foot beside his arm, shoving him away from her. She kicked him with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs. As he lay on the ground, trying to suck air back into his system, Satori left before she completely lost her temper with the idiot. The quietness of the village was out of her mind, but she was distracted from her mental ranting. A sound, just a whisper, sounded above her head. She glanced up at an ancient oak tree.

'_Must have been the wind,'_ she reasoned, and kept her stride brisk as she moved into the loosely crowded streets of the market. It didn't take her long to find and purchase the two additives to her mother's cooking, and she lazed about for a few minutes, mingling with the people and catching up on gossip. Eventually, her feet took her away from the village center and along a different route home. Running into Teppei again was not a top priority for her. She tried to ignore some unnamed nagging she felt as she walked home.

"Mom!" she called, halfway through the threshold of the entrance to her house.

"Don't yell!" her mother called back. Satori grinned at her and walked the few feet into the kitchen, setting the paper bag on the counter. "Thank you, dear," she replied, taking the bag for her own. "How was you long and trying trip?" she asked, cutting the parsley into small fragments.

"Excruciating," Satori explained. "I mean, I walked out of the house and then _bam_, ten ninjas pop out of seemingly nowhere. After I finished battling them, it started pouring down rain. But, I guess that was ok, because it washed all the gore off me. And then the earthquake. My God, did you feel that thing? I was falling all over the place! So, eventually, I managed to clamber my way into the market and almost _everyone_ was injured in some way. So, of course, being the saint that I am, I went and helped most of them out until the paramedics came. I actually got your stuff for free, believe it or not. I saved the shop owners cat from a tree." She sighed dramatically and plopped her head onto her hand. "It was traumatic. I don't know how I'm still on my feet."

"I can tell," her mother replied, suppressing laughter. "I'm not too sure how you're still sane either."

"Really," she agreed. "Oh, and Teppei was being a jerk again."

"Did you punch him in the face?"

"Yes, ma'am,' she answered sheepishly. She sounded like a child who got caught eating ice cream before dinner.

"Good girl." Satori beamed at her. For the next few minutes, the purple haired girl watched as the woman finished cooking their dinner. After a while, her mother wiped her hands on her stark-white apron and walked across the kitchen, two plates in her hands. Her steps were muffled by her clean white socks on the wood floors. Again, Satori's stomach growled as the smell of cooked meat, vegetables, and spices wafted up to her nose.

The plates skidded across the blue-veined marble countertop as a series of explosions shot off around them. Satori fell of the stool she'd been sitting on and her mother slammed onto the other side of the counter.

"The hell was that?!" Satori exclaimed, and jumping up and following her mother outside the house. Smoke hazed their view of the village. An orange glow was growing around the town center, signaling a strong fire. Shock settled over Satori. The explosions had left her shaking, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Why were they bombed? This was a rural village. It dealt with food trade. On top of everything though, she was mostly stunned at the fact that it had only been fifteen minutes since she'd left that same place. All of those people…

"Satori!" her mother yelled. "Go back inside!" Satori stopped, realizing that her mother's voice had called from behind her. When did she get twenty feet in front of the house?

"But-"

"No! Get inside and stay there."

"All those peo-"

"I said _no_. You're not a hero, Satori. Now, get inside and _stay there_." She grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her back into the house. "Stay," she ordered, her voice flat and commanding. The door slammed shut in Satori's face.

"Then why the hell are you still out there?!" she yelled at the wooden blockade. "You aren't a hero anymore, either!" Her green eyes bore into the door as silence answered her. "God damnit." She turned and ran out the back door. She was climbing the tree she had previously been in half an hour ago, perfectly content with the nice spring day. Everything had changed so fast. Her head was still spinning. Within second of reaching the first branch, Satori had launched herself over the six-foot stucco wall that lined the property. Her footing slipped as she hit the dirt and dead leaves, but she kept running.

An arm grabbed her around the waist, keeping her in place. Cold steel pressed against her throat. Satori swallowed heavily, but the pressure of sharp metal against her skin cleared her head swiftly. The arm holding her in place was just as solid as the knife, restricting the movement of her heaving chest.

"Cooperate or die," she was given. The man's voice was deep and steady, but oddly soft. They stayed in place for a few moments that seemed to stretch for days as Satori got her breathing under control. She nodded, instantly regretting it as the weapon dug into her throat. Her captor didn't say anything and she hardly felt him move. Her world blurred for a split second before she was coughing. Smoke burned her throat and eyes, and they watered. The comfortably warm spring air had been replaced with a thick, hot atmosphere. They were at the steps of Town Hall. Satori looked around wide-eyed at the destruction. Somehow, amidst all of the chaos, the building in front of her had managed to stay safe.

The arm around her had retreated to a slight pressure on her back. When she hesitated to move, the man gave her a light push. She consented and walked up the steps to the entrance. She reached the top, and started when a person seemed to flicker into existence in front of her before discussing something briefly with a man. The man's head swathed in white cloth with tinted goggles on his eyes. A black robe flowed around his body, obscuring any build. The collar reached above his chin, obscuring even more of his face as well. Red clouds floated against the ebony background. The person he was talking to, with a strange orange swirled mask over his face, disappeared again. She was lead past him and made a point to avoid looking at the intimidating figure.

These people weren't just terrorists. They were _ninjas_.

'_Fuck.'_

Satori leaned against the wall the villagers were lined against. There was an obvious gap between them and their captors. The interlopers either studied the scared group of people or talked amongst themselves. She noticed that only a small handful of people had those sweeping black and red cloaks. The rest wore rag-tag clothes. It had suddenly started pouring rain outside about ten minutes after Satori had been ushered inside the cramped hall. That had been hours ago. She'd yet to see her mother.

To pass the time, Satori had walked amongst the villagers, asking questions, listening to their answers, and giving answers of her own. No one had any idea what was going on. There were rumors that they were going to be sold as slaves; others said that they were going to be forced into some sort of labor. The more imaginative ones were coming up with being used as a standing army, or worse. Satori tried not to let their words reach the slight state a calm she managed to convey to others.

After she'd shared news with everyone she could, she had to content herself with leaning against the back wall, replaying the events in her head. The man who had delivered her to this make-shift corral had disappeared before she'd had a chance to see his face. Idly, she tried to place his voice with anyone whose body seemed to match the low pitch. She'd picked a small amount of people in the time she'd stayed in place. Now, the robed figures, as if by some unheard command, surfaced to the front of the group across her. Each alone could make a person feel comfortable, but all together, a few people started trembling.

A heavy silence descended on the loud room with graceful swiftness. The cry of a child was quickly muffled by its mother's hand. All of the red-and-black adorn figures stared blankly at them, and Satori took in an even breath, willing an irrational sense to run to quiet. No one had made a move. She kept telling herself she was just anxious. With crossed arms, she waited. The door opened and most everyone turned their heads to look. The one with the swirled mask walked in, dripping wet. He shook his head vigorously, a parody of a dog.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, trotting up to the robed group in front. "I fell asleep."

"Tobi," one of them groaned. He had long blonde hair, part of it pulled on the top of his head in a pony tail. "How many times have I told you that you might want to pay attention to time a _little_ better, un." His voice was irate, as well as deep, but Satori didn't think he was the one who'd found her. "Sasori no Dana was close to sending something to find you." The almost matching name to her own startled her.

"Deidara," someone else growled. "Shut up. You're as bad as him for keeping us waiting."

'_Something,'_ Satori corrected herself. _'No way that… thing is human. It looks like an over-grown spider.'_

"Now that we're all here," a voice echoed throughout the room, cutting off a reply the blonde, Deidara, was about to give. He instead shoved the newcomer, Tobi, back into the large crowd of attackers. "Some ground rules." Satori couldn't place where the voice was coming from, but it reverberated throughout her whole body. "My Akatsuki members will pick a servant. Partners will decide which of the houses they're going to live at."

Commotion arose from the larger group. Her eyebrows furrowed when Satori heard the sudden, strangled silence again fall over everyone.

"The rest will be put to work or disposed of." The tension against the wall increased ten-fold. "Everyone else will set up lodgings throughout the village. I will _not_ tolerate any harassment of the villagers or any vandalism of the village itself." This time, Satori raised her eyebrow, looking up at the ceiling like the speaker would be floating there.

'_An odd proclamation to make after saying any who aren't of use are going to be killed,' _she thought.

"I'll meet with your group leaders later this evening. Dismissed." With that, Satori turned her eyes back to the people in front of her. It both bothered and scared her that her existence was ultimately out of her hands. Granted, she had two out of three chances of being put to use. Her brain was already spinning, coming up with possible outcomes to different situations. She was hoping to be picked for a servant. Forced labor never ended nicely in her ponderings. And she had six chances of getting picked. The Akatsuki members advanced on them slowly.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Green eyes slammed on the tall, robed figure making its way over to her. She wasn't sure what to call the owner of that gravel-y voice. He was enormous, with _blue_ skin, beady eyes, and insanely sharp teeth. The air around him was suffocating and the giant, wrapped sword on his back was only a little disconcerting. "You've got a pretty face." He stopped arms-length from her.

"So I've been told," she mused, defiantly looking him in the eyes. She could already guess what he wanted her for. He opened his mouth to say something. "Nope." A confused look fell on his face, an odd contradiction to his intimidating size.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nope."

"Nope what?'

"Not working for you." He growled at her, but she stood her ground, her arms crossed across her chest insolently.

"You wanna repeat that?"

"Not working for you," she repeated slowly, pronouncing each syllable. The man's palm connected with her face with immense force. Her neck actually popped as her head was thrown to the side. Satori collapsed to her knees and heard someone near her snort in a knowing way. She looked through a curtain of dark hair to see one of the villagers hastily clamping his hand to his mouth. A smirk graced her lips and she tried to ignore the way that small movement made her face throb even worse.

Her assailant's eyes narrowed when she stood up. She put a hand on her hip and leaned against the wall in a bored way.

"Ow," she said, running her other hand through her purple locks. "That hurt," she whined sarcastically. His giant hand wrapped around her throat. _'Ok. Maybe I went a little far,' _she thought as the blue man lifted her up off the ground.

"You know," he started, his shark-mouth twisted in a maniacal grin, "it's a pity. You would've made great company." Satori clawed at his arm, trying to stop him from crushing her windpipe. As she started to get lightheaded, she acted on instinct. Her leg shot out, ruthlessly nailing the man in the groin. They both dropped. Gasping for air and coughing, Satori heard a roar of laughter from his fellow organization members.

"She showed you Kisame," Deidara choked out. "Oh, that was hilarious, un." Most of the people had gotten their laughter under control (save Tobi), but when Kisame sent a murderous glare at the blonde, Deidara burst out laughing again.

With her throat raw from hacking, Satori crouched, not trusting her legs to hold her up. Two cold fingers tilted her head up. Garnet stared at emerald, and Satori blinked in surprise. Why did ninjas always have to have odd physical characteristics? It could be rather bothersome. The crimson orbs were set against a gorgeous face, she noted ruefully. Raven locks brushed against her dark purple ones. Lids slowly closed, hiding the jewel eyes before revealing them again.

Satori nodded and stood up. She stumbled forward for a moment, but grabbed a fist-full of black fabric to steady her. She glanced at her new... boss (she refused to call him her 'master'), assessing him there. The first thing that shocked her was how young he looked – not much older than her almost 17 years. She could get no further than that; his own Akatsuki robe concealed the rest of him.

"Itachi," Kisame ground out beside them. Satori cursed herself when she took an automatic step away from the large man. "What're you doing?" he demanded.

"Picking my servant." The boy's voice startled Satori. It was the same deep, smooth tone as the person who'd caught her just an hours ago.

"I refuse to live with that brat," Kisame replied scathingly. Itachi shrugged.

"You can learn. Besides," he continued. "I'm sure she'll make things interesting." A smirk twitched at his lips, not at all bothered by the older, bigger man's sudden death-glare. Several of the Akatsuki members sniggered. Itachi turned in a flourish of red and black cloth, striding out of the large room. Satori resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Kisame and followed Itachi out into the pouring rain. Before stepping out into the torrent, Itachi pulled a woven straw hat from the folds of his robe and placed it on his head. White strips of fabric shielded his face from her. Satori easily assumed he could care less that she, on the other hand, was getting soaked.

'_And now I regret wearing such light clothes,'_ she thought forlornly. The silence was broken only by the pattering of the rain and their steps sloshing through mud and puddles.

"Ne… Itachi-san," Satori said softly. She'd weighed the possible outcomes of what would happen if she was as rude to him as she was to Kisame. There was a cold calmness of Itachi that put her on guard. She was going to have to be cautious, especially if his temper was as short as the shark-man's. She paused for a split-second, liking the new nickname for him.

But, that didn't mean she was going to let them walk all over her.

"Hn."

"Were you the one who caught me, early today?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Ok. Just wondering." She could easily tell that Itachi didn't want to talk. It was as if he'd clammed up after leaving his companions. They continued down the same road she'd traveled mere hours ago in heavy silence. Satori was distracted by a shape on the ground as they neared her house. The nearer they got, Satori had to accept the fact that not only was the lump a person, but a person she knew. Loose strands of brown had plastered themselves to cold skin because of the rain, and red and brown streaks slashed across a white apron.

Satori's stomach wrenched painfully in her stomach as she smelt the blood that had long stopped leaking from a gaping wound in her mother's stomach. Without breathing, she quickened her stride, pulling ahead of Itachi and up the few front steps to her house. Only then did she shake her head violently, both to clear it and get some of the water off her face.

Itachi's sandal's hollowly clapped up the wooden staircase as she opened the door. Satori left the door open for him and trudged inside, dripping water on the hardwood floor. Walking down the hall on the left side of the living room, she slid open the linen closet and pulled out two towels. She was getting the worst of the drip off her when she stepped back into the living room. Itachi's hat was setting on the kitchen counter, but he was in the living room, holding up a picture frame. The house was dark.

"You like?" she asked and tossed him the extra towel when he glanced up at her. He easily caught it, and she noticed how his robe seemed to swallow him up. He looked more like an omen that an actual human being. She smiled grimly at the thought. "It's of the back yard," she continued, jerking her head to the sliding glass door that covered much of the back wall. Satori knew where each of her drawings were placed throughout the house.

"Hn," he mused quietly and set the framed picture back on the lamp table. It was quiet once more as he dried himself for a bit. "Show me around the place."

"A 'please' would better insure your request," Satori said, raising her eyebrow as she toweled her hair. "Whether or not I'm now your servant means nothing to me. I still expect manners in _my_ house." Itachi looked blankly back at her. Her posture straightened, defiance again written on her face.

"And your words do not concern me. As of now, this whole village belongs to Akatsuki, therefore, not you. In simple terms, this house is no longer yours."

"Well, if this house belongs to you, then you should have plenty of ease figuring out where everything is, should you not?" Itachi glared at her, and she returned it, just as harsh. A smirk passed across her lips.

She didn't blink, but suddenly he was standing in front of her, his crimson gaze locking onto hers. Fear gripped her momentarily as she stepped back and bumped into the wall. His forearm was across her collarbone – if he shifted it just a little, it would press against her windpipe and she'd be choking for air, yet again.

"Listen," he commanded, "this is how it's going to work, since you seem slow to catch on." She narrowed her eyes at the insult. "I will tell you what to do and you will do it without complaint. You will not leave this house without my permission, either. Understand?" Satori glared at him, not bothered by how close he was anymore. "I asked if you underst-"

"And what if I don't agree with your terms, Mr. I Am So Powerful?" The towel dropped to the floor and her breath left her in a rush as his fist connected with her stomach. Her head lurched forward, almost slamming into Itachi's shoulder as her face screwed together in pain. Once again, Itachi lifted her face to his.

'_I really need to stop doing that.'_

"You get my point?" Satori continued to glare at him as she got her breathing under control again.

"Fine," she snapped and brushed his hand off her chin. She hated herself for giving in, but _damn_ that hurt. She didn't glance back to see if her new house-mate was following her. She'd yet to figure out if the lack of superiority she felt from him made her ego feel a little better or just annoyed her. "Kitchen," she announced childishly, passing across the room and into the hall that opened beside the refrigerator.

"This is the east wing of the house," she said, flicking on the hall light. "There're two bedrooms and one bathroom." She touched each door. "That's an office." She leaned against the end of the hall as Itachi poked his head through each door, looked at the rooms for a few moments, and then re-shut the doors. After shutting the door to the small office, she brushed past him, through the middle of the house again, brushed the switch off as she passed. She stopped to pick up the dropped towel, and before walking down the hall again.

"West wing," she stated. "My room and bathroom are on the left." She went to the second door on the right – the first was the linen closet. "This'll be your room." She stood aside and let him examine the room for himself. It was your typical, run-of-the-mill guest room. The walls were white, the carpet grey, with a full sized bed and matching dresser and desk. She waited a few moments before speaking again.

"I'm going to bed. Good night." There was no politeness in her departure.

"What's down there?" She resisted turning at the sound of his velvety voice, but instead glanced down the hall, were it turned left.

"Laundry room, storage," she said simply and walked into her room.

Satori stripped her clinging clothes off her body after locking her door. After changing into dry cotton shorts and a T-shirt, she brought the sopping articles into the connected bathroom and hung them up to dry. Once back in her room, she laid down and thought about today for the millionth time, it seemed. Her mother was dead. Their tiny, rural village had been taken over by some organization called Akatsuki. She figured it wouldn't be _as_ bad if the world didn't hate her. But no, she had to be put to work in her _own house_ by some bastard ninja. A sudden realization dawned on her.

"_I refuse to live with that brat."_

Kisame the shark-man was going to be living there as well. She would bet that he was going to raise hell at any time he saw fit, and Satori never bet but a sure thing.

God damnit.

She decided it was time to go to sleep.

* * *

And there is Chapter One.

Why is this one the longest again?


	2. Chapter 2

I think this Document program likes to randomly double the openings of.. documents. Does it do it anywhere else? If so, tell me and I'll hunt for it and fix it.

Disclaimer: Noooooooooooo, don't think so.

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Someone yelled outside. Itachi lay burrowed in his new bed, the scent of clean sheets almost smothering. He kept still, hoping against hope that the voice wasn't Kisame and that it would quiet down.

"This must be her house then!" he bellowed. Itachi's obsidian eyes opened to a glare. "Hey! Teppei! I found her house!" He threw the covers off him and swung out of bed. A wave of lightheadedness rushed over him, but practice allowed him to maintain a straight path as he silently stormed out of the room and into the living room.

"Stupid, idiotic, loud-ass, shark-man," he heard Satori mutter in her room, woken up by the ruckus as well.

"Itachi!" Kisame yelled after stepping in the house. Itachi immerged from the hallway, almost failing in masking his extreme annoyance at his partner. He _knew_ Itachi hated being woken up before he had at least six hours of sleep. "Whas up?!"

"People are trying to sleep, Kisame," he stated coolly. He took a moment to eye the person – Teppei – who was standing behind Kisame. He looked completely average, his brown shaggy hair falling into his brown eyes. He looked familiar. The newcomer didn't look at either of them, but rather at the rest of the house.

"What?" Kisame barked. "It can't be that late."

"It's 4:30 in the morning," Itachi replied. Kisame fell quiet. "You and your servant will be sleeping in the east wing of the house," he continued, nodding his head to the vacant hallway. "I'm going back to bed." He turned on his heel and glided back down the hall.

"Fine," he heard Kisame say childishly and resisted the urge to shake his head and the giant man. As Itachi neared his room, he spotted Satori leaning against her doorframe, red shorts and a white t-shirt adorning her figure. She raised her eyebrow in a silent demand for an explanation. He gave her none and continued into his room. He could feel her eye-roll. After sliding his rice paper door shut behind him, he took two long strides and collapsed back into his bed. Itachi cocooned himself into the sheets and comforter and drifted back into sleep.

Itachi was once again rudely awakened by a violent crash, almost instantly followed by his door violently slamming open. With morning haziness still blurring his senses, he sat up and Satori flew into his room. In movements almost fluid enough to be appraised by a ninja, she landed on his bed with one knees and skid behind him. She grabbed his shoulders, her rapid breath fanning down his back.

"Shark-man isn't too happy to see me," she said before he demanded an explanation. As if summoned by his name, Kisame stormed through the open door into Itachi's room, a look of rage on his face. Itachi felt Satori's head tap the back of his neck as she ducked. Kisame roared and lunged at her, completely oblivious to the young man between him and his prey.

"Kisame," Itachi hissed, grabbed his partner by the neck and holding him. His normally calm voice was dripping with irritation. "Exactly _what_ are you doing?"

"Itachi!" Kisame exclaimed, immediately jumping away from the boy. He glared at Satori as she popped her head over Itachi's shoulder. "I was just… I mean I… um…," he stuttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Was attempting to kill me?" Satori suggested.

"Yeah! I mean no!" Kisame shook his head fast to deny what he'd just said. "I'm… gonna go now. Bye!" He disappeared out of the room, the door whispering shut behind him. Satori released her grip on Itachi and fell back against the pillow, laughing slightly.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "But you were the only person who could stop him." Itachi had to agree. He glanced at his servant, oddly calm after almost being flayed by the temperamental hybrid. Her hair was still that inky shade of purple, black but tinted with violet. She brushed the tresses with her fingers as she stared out his window. He was mildly surprised the side of her face wasn't bruised from the slap she received yesterday, but he could see faint hand marks on her neck. She didn't seem bothered by them.

"Out," he ordered flatly. He needed a shower.

"Hell no," she said, looking at him like he was crazy. "I'm not going out there with that lunatic still around to eat my face. Are you insane?" Itachi suppressed a sigh.

"Just go to your room." Part of him laughed at how that sounded. "If you don't instigate him, he won't do anything." Itachi sent her a look. Satori smile slyly.

"But, Itachi-san," she said, flustered. "I haven't done anything to him!" Itachi couldn't help but roll his eyes. He threw the covers off his legs, stood up, and stretched. "Oh. There's a box outside. It's got your names on it." Itachi was surprised by his servant's calm demeanor. She didn't look at all bothered by the fact that she was living with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. Both of them were infamous, in both big and small villages.

Strange girl.

"Go get it." She crossed her arms and glared at him. He stared at her.

"You just said not to instigate him," she whined.

"Getting a box means you're going to instigate him?"

"Itachi, my very _presence_ seems to be enough to set him off." Itachi ran a hand through his long raven locks and sighed. Someone knocked at his door. "I'm not answering it," Satori said without missing a beat.

'_This girl is impossible,'_ Itachi concluded and he slid his door open. The aforementioned box sat at his feet. He squatted on his haunches and opened it. So, Pein had sent their clothes already. He pulled out a clean uniform from the half-empty box and stood, kicking it further into this room.

"Out," he repeated. Satori huffed and finally got off his bed. She paused in the middle of the hall, blocking his path to the bathroom. Itachi glanced at the empty living room and kitchen. The living room looked like a tornado had run through it. Or an extremely pissed off Kisame.

"I'm holding you personally responsible if he kills me, you know that, right?" she grumbled, walking into the destroyed room to start cleaning up. Itachi shrugged lightly at the statement and went to take a quick shower. After a scant five minutes, he was walking back into his room to toss his dirty clothes on the floor. When he stepped into the main part of the house, he was surprised to see Kisame in the kitchen and Satori in the living room, both going about their business. A small smirk crossed his features when he saw the cautious looks Satori kept sending the lumbering figure in the kitchen.

"Kisame," Itachi called softly. The ninja, whose head was shoved in the refrigerator, jerked. His head slammed up with an audible thunk. Satori couldn't keep her laughter quiet. She snickered.

"Oowwww," Kisame groaned, clutching his skull. "What do you want, Itachi?"

"I'm sure if you wait, Satori will cook breakfast." He shot Satori a look when she opened her mouth to snap a smart remark.

"Sure," she opted instead.

"Quit going through the fridge, Kisame," Itachi smirked.

"Fine, fine," Kisame agreed, stepping away form the device as he swung the door shut. "Just stop talking to loud."

"Hangover." It wasn't a question. Kisame nodded.

"The fucking hell you doing in my house?" Satori called behind him. He gave her a startled look, before tracing her look to the threshold of the right side of the house. Kisame's servant, Teppei, stood there. In the better light, Itachi could see the bruised skin on his cheek. Satori's tone reminded him why the boy seemed so familiar.

"It's my house as well now, babe." Satori bristled.

'_Hn,'_ Itachi thought. _'It is the boy she punched in the face yesterday. No wonder his face is swollen.'_ Things just kept getting more and more interesting.

"I said stop talking so loud," Kisame ground through his teeth. Satori let out an exasperated sigh.

"You want something for it?"

"Yes." The purple-haired girl walked into the kitchen, glared at Teppei, and opened a cabinet. After rummaging for a bit, she pulled out a bottle, glanced at Kisame, and shook out three pills. Itachi could see a thought make its way to the front of her mind.

"Wait. Where the hell was your hangover this morning?!" she exclaimed.

"No idea," Kisame answered. "Gimme those." He held his hand out and Satori dropped the pills in his hand. He eyed her suspiciously. "How do I know these aren't going to kill me?" She reached behind her and picked the bottle up, showing it to him.

"Because that would be incredibly stupid, shark-man," she answered as he read over the bottle. Satisfied, he handed her back the bottle and popped the pills in his mouth, swallowing without the aid of any beverage."You might want to lay off the sake for a while, too. It really isn't healthy for you, shark-man." Itachi refrained from snorting at the statement.

"I have a name, y'know," Kisame said.

"I know, but it's fun to call you shark-man," she grinned. She left the kitchen and walked past Itachi. "I'm going to take a shower before I make breakfast," she announced and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Well, it's good to know you aren't trying to kill her," Itachi murmured thoughtfully, just loud enough for Kisame to hear. Teppei was still in the room.

"I don't feel like killing anyone today, Itachi. I'm going to take a nap." With that, Kisame ambled down the hall, past the brown-haired servant. Itachi stared blankly at the older boy before walking out into the backyard. It was one of the two parts of his new dwelling that he'd yet to analyze. He idly walked around the enclosed area, placidly observing every square inch. When he reached the stucco wall, he jump on top of the blockade and turned to look at it all from a different angle. The sky was overcast, but not yet raining. Pein was being oddly lax.

The house was shaped much like a backwards L, with a roofed patio at the entrance to the living room. Satori's room and bathroom each had windows that overlooked the yard. The layout was the same on the other side of the house. Itachi look at the leg of the building, enclosing the other part he still needed to examine. Satori had said it was just were the laundry room and storage was, but he couldn't not know the layout. Years of training had embedded that into his brain.

With new purpose, Itachi lightly jumped the six feet to the ground, landing silently. He walked back into the living room and through the west wing. The bathroom was silent, and he could hear Satori shuffling around her room. He continued pass the doors and took a right at the end of the hall. There was a window on his right between the edge of the halls and another wall. He raised his eyebrow, but went to the first door on his left. It was the laundry room.

Itachi gazed at the wall in front of him, now.

'_Her storage must be pretty big if it goes from here to the back of the hall,'_ he thought, stepping forward to slide the door open. Mild shock registered on his normally impassive face. The left wall was lined in ceiling-to-floor mirrors and the floor was padded. Mats lined the wall on his right, stacked on and against each other. It was a training room. There were even a few punching bags against the wall. The only inkling to it being used for storage was a small stack of boxes in the far left corner.

"Enjoying the view?" Satori asked behind him.

"Hn," he answered without turning. "Nice storage," he said instead.

"Isn't it though?" she replied, now beside him. He gave her a sidelong glance. Her hands were on her hips, her green eyes scanning the room as well, distant with nostalgia. Her hair looked darker than normal as it was still damp. She was wearing green shorts and a black T-shirt. She pulled herself from her reverie. "You said you wanted food earlier?" He nodded. "I'm not bringing it in here after I cook it." She walked out of the room.

Itachi gave the room a last once-over and followed her steps into the kitchen. He sat down on the bar stool at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. Satori began rummaging around, grabbing odds and ends to start her cooking. Itachi contented himself with watching her as the house settled into silence, broken by the rain that was once again falling.

"So, is shark-man not trying to kill me anymore, or is it just the hangover?" she asked, her tone light. She sounded like they were discussing the weather, not her chances of living.

"Probably the hangover," he answered.

"Joy." The sarcasm dripped form the remark.

"Though, he usually shoes more resentment to the person, even with a hangover," he continued, tracing his finger along the blue veins in the white marble. He surprised himself with that burst of talking. It was odd how accustomed he'd grown to Satori's presence and attitude. Maybe it was the closeness in age, but talking to her seemed natural.

"You never know," she grinned, walking towards him with two plates of cheese-eggs and bacon, "he might actually like me." Itachi let out a sharp breath, the beginning stages of a snort and his lips twitched. "It happens," was all the supplied as she stabbed a yellow glob of food and shoved it in her mouth. Satori remained standing, even though there was an empty stool beside Itachi.

Teppei walked into the kitchen, whether aroused by the smell of food or Satori herself, Itachi neither knew nor cared. He watched the man carefully.

"Aw, none for me?" he asked.

"Nope." She took an angry bite of her bacon. "Ne, Itachi," she said, bent on ignoring Teppei.

"Hn."

"You know that whole 'you will not leave the house without my permission' rule you said?" She deepened her voice with the quote in an imitation of him. He nodded. "Well, can that be extended to the front- and backyard as well? Because if you leave and I don't think to ask, which I most likely wont, that means I'm going to be stuck in this house, bored out of my mind."

"Yes," he answered. She swallowed the last of her meal.

"Thank you, Itachi," she smiled and stood up to wash her plate. "That's Kisame's food," she said flatly to Teppei.

"Well, you submit to servitude quickly," Teppei replied with a smirk. Emerald and garnet eyes narrowed.

"I typically prefer to not be in fear for my life. If you want food, make it yourself, retard." She moved back to Itachi, grabbed his empty plate, and washed it as well. Teppei grabbed an apple and left. Itachi could see Satori visibly relax, but couldn't hear what she was muttering under her breath. He assumed it wasn't anything nice. A thought occurred to him.

"You actually do follow orders well," he said.

"Always have," Satori answered, placing the dished on a drainage board. "Blame my father," she continued offhandedly. He looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to elaborate. She didn't. He took matters into his own hands.

"Does your father live here," he asked conversationally. _'He's in for a surprise if he does when he gets back…'_

"No."

"Hn." Itachi began pondering how much of Satori he needed to know before he could predict her actions in any situation. She might be a servant, but he was already aware that she wasn't any air-head. "Go get the door," he said softly.

"Wha-" Satori said before a knock at the front door. Itachi ignored the look she gave him. She stood aside to allow Deidara and Sasori entrance before shutting the door behind her. Itachi hid an amused smile when he noted the distance she put between the puppeteer and herself and walked over to the older two.

"Leader's calling for a meeting," Sasori's gravelly voice announced as the two members dripped water on the floor. He kept his straw hat on, but Deidara pulled his off.

"Yeah, where's Kisame-san, un?" the blonde asked.

"Teppei, go get Kisame," Satori ordered. So, she hadn't missed him slinking back into the middle of the house.

"Why don't you?" he asked. Satori sent a glare over her shoulder.

"Because one, this is my house; two, you're _his_ servant. It's your job. Now go wake him up." Her tone made it obvious that she wasn't going to tolerate any backtalk. Teppei glared at her, but his nerve failed when he saw Sasori glaring at him as well.

"Don't worry, un," Deidara said when she turned to face her guests again. "You could always kick him in the crotch like you did Kisame-san, un." Satori blushed and laughed, flustered. Deidara's visible sea-colored eye danced.

"You could punch him again too," Itachi suggested, looking absently out the door. Realization dawned on Satori.

"That was you?" she asked, turning to face him with her hand on his hip.

"Go get my robe," Itachi said in an answer. "There's a dry one in the box." Satori glared at him for a moment before she nodded and left for a few moments before coming back, his red and black garment draped over her arm. She even had his hat. He nodded his thanks and slid into the jacket, then took the hat in his hand.

Once again, Itachi was impressed at Satori's ability to remain calm and unaffected around their group, especially Sasori. She looked like she was chatting with a bunch of old friends. Then he noticed something else. She was placing just the right amount of space between them to distance herself, but remain polite. Impressive.

An obnoxious yawn sounded behind them before Kisame joined their group, bedraggled and tired-looking.

"Ne, Kisame-san," Deidara said. "You could be a little more polite, un. I doubt Satori-san's going to behave as well as she is if you keep beating her up, un." Satori narrowed her eyes and stared at the ground. Kisame shrugged.

"I didn't kill her, did I?"

"Can we go now?" Sasori ask irritably.

"Why not," his partner agreed, and the two artists turned and walked back into the pouring rain. Kisame followed soon after.

"Rules stay in place," Itachi said to Satori.

"I'll be an angel," she said, overly sweet. He looked at her and she laughed. "Shoo," she ordered, flicking her hand at the door. "You'll be late for your meeting."

* * *

It so totally only took me a day to do this one. Dunno why. Was working on it from about noon to quarter to seven. Thought that was pretty impressive myself.

Anyway, don't know why this one's shorter than the first chapter, but it's still longer than the original by about three pages. Woo!

Aaaaaaalrighty. I'll not ask you to review on this one either, just the third chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Ahhh, I only read over this once. I don't know how many errors there are. Forgive me for any.

Disclaimer: -shakes head-

* * *

"Why do you keep doing what they say?" Teppei asked behind her.

"Because I'm not stupid, Teppei," she sighed, turning to face him. The prospect of being in her house without either Itachi or Kisame there made her nervous with him around. She took a moment to berate herself for depending on her new house-mates in any way. Wryly, she thought about the fact that Kisame would probably jump at the opportunity to have something that annoyed her as much as Teppei did. Itachi… Satori still wasn't sure what to make of the kid yet.

"So, I'm stupid for not wanting to yield to these ninja bastards?" he asked.

"You're stupid if you don't. They could kill you in less than a second." She walked away to grab a dirty towel so she could mop the rain water from the floor. Teppei followed her, his steps clipped. He _really_ needed to learn when to quit. She tried to walk back to the living room, but he stood at the threshold of the door, blocking her path. She glared at him, her patience running thin yet again.

"You're just that self-absorbed, aren't you?" he asked instead. Satori shoved him out of the way.

"How did we get from being servants to my vanity?" she snapped.

"Because I can't think of any other reason why you'd play their lap dog unless you won something from it," he answered. "I'd give just about anything to have you act so contrite with me," he added thoughtfully. Satori snorted, remembering the night before. Her stomach was bruised a beautiful blue and purple. The muscles in her neck pulled painfully whenever she moved her head.

"You don't quit, do you?" she asked him as she crouched down to wipe the water off the wooden floors.

"Only if you stop playing hard to get. Which you never do."

"Because playing hard to get and you getting on my last god damn nerve never get mixed up." She stood and walked down to the laundry room, annoyance clearly written on her face. She was grateful when she didn't hear Teppei following her. He was being even more annoying than usual today. It _totally_ figured that the shark-man ended up with Teppei as his servant. A sigh escaped her lips again. She walked into her room, sliding the door shut behind her. It was a little pathetic that she had only been awake for about two hours, but was already bored.

Satori poked around her room for a few minutes. As always, it was virtually spotless, everything in order. Her walls were dotted with her favorite pictures in a desperate attempt to add some life to the plain abode. The only messy area was her bed, the covers thrown back from the early morning. She had planned on getting something to drink and going back to sleep before Kisame had attempted to murder her. The disturbance of order got the best of her, and she methodically started to straighten the sheets out. Finished, she turned and looked at her room once more.

'_So bored,'_ she whined. She sat at her desk and pulled open one of the drawers. Seconds later, a notebook sat in front of her. She flipped the cover open and leafed through the pages. It was a journal. A little childish, but she liked keeping one. Being able to speak her thoughts without any judgment was a big part of why, but she also liked the memories the small book held. She found a clean page and picked up a pencil, wrapping details of the last few days around her as she began to write.

Half an hour later, Satori drifted through the house. Teppei must've been in his room, because he wasn't in the living room and she didn't see him outside. She was hopelessly trying to think of things to do, but nothing would work. Cleaning? No, her side of the house was virtually spotless. Draw? Not in the mood. Cook? Just what would she cook? She sighed. At least Itachi gave her something to do. Her wandering brought her to the training room at the back of the hall. She stared at the door for a while.

Her hand pushed it open slowly, melodramatic. The room was as silent as it had been the last time she'd been there, what seemed like a life-time ago. She idly wandered over to the side wall, where all the mats sat lifelessly. The training was probably the only fond memories of her father she actually had. When he wasn't coaching her, he was either locked in his office or gone. She stared at a punching bag in front of her, the red fabric almost taunting her. Her fist slammed into the padded stand. She winced as her fingers bent in too far.

"I guess I'm slightly out of shape," she murmured to herself as she shook her hand out. A simple punch had never hurt before. Satori glanced around the room again, thinking. She couldn't actually do much. There was no way her stomach was going to let her do anything _at all_. Even walking made the bruised skin twinge. Not to mention, a pulled neck muscle really wasn't something she wanted. Green eyes traveled back to the punching bag. "And I just took a shower, too." Picking up the light piece of equipment, she walked to the other side of the room, closer to the mirrors. She pulled the ever-present hair-band off her wrist and tied her hair in a high ponytail before stretching her arms out.

_Small hands propelled an equally small body across the padded floor. Feet landed and she threw her body back. But, as her hands hit the floor once more, her right elbow gave out. There was a loud thud as her stomach slammed onto the ground._

"_Satori," a concerned voice called behind her. "You ok?" He knelt down beside his daughter and put a comforting hand on her rapidly moving torso. It had been her first attempt at a round-off backhandspring without a spot. She'd done well in the beginning, until her arm bent. He brushed her purple hair out of her face._

"_Yes," she grumbled, upset at herself for messing up and standing. Her father stood with her._

"_Do you need a break?" he asked. She shook her head. "Satori, if you push yourself too hard you're going to make a mistake. Something worse than just falling." Satori ignored him and walked back to the corner of the floor. The man stood off to the side so he wasn't in her way. Even if she was only eight, she was stubborn as a mule. She was going to keep going until she got it down perfectly. The next time, she landed on her feet, but her rebound was too high and she ended up on the ground again. On the fourth try, she stuck it perfectly. With a grin plastered across her face, Satori repeated the moves four more times before declaring she was done._

_Her dad smiled._

The punches were becoming easier and easier. Satori started changing them up, placing different styles in a fluid but dangerous lineup.

"_Come on, Satori," her father urged. "Punch harder." The twelve-year-old hit the punching bag again, harder, as instructed. She began to let out a small grunt with every land, sweat tickling her skin as it trailed down her face and neck. They continued for a few minutes before her father ordered a break. They stepped off the raised padded floor onto the hardwood and made their way to a small group of chairs situated around a table in a corner. Satori resisted the urge to gulp her water and risk getting sick._

"_You're doing well, Satori. I'm proud of you." She beamed. She loved making her father happy. "If you keep it up, by the end of the week, I might show you some new things." Her face visibly brightened._

"_Really? Are you serious?" He nodded his head. They had been working on the basic martial arts for far too long in Satori's mind. Punches, kicks, more punching and kicking. She was ready to combine the two. "You mean all the flips and stuff?" He nodded again. "Thank you!" she squealed and hugged him._

"_But you still need to work on your punches." Satori let out an exasperated sigh._

"_Why?" she complained. "We've been doing this for about a week. I think I've got it down."_

"_Up," her father instructed. Satori muttered under her breath, but stood up regardless. "Hit me."_

"… _I'm sorry, what?"_

"_Hit me," he repeated._

"… _Ok…" She pulled her arm back, hand balled into a fist, and swung with immense force. Her father ducked under her arm and pressed his knuckles to her side. Satori glared and pulled back. Her father stood._

"_If we were in a real fight, I easily could have sent you flying. When you punch, you swing too wide and leave your right side wide open. That's what we're going to work on." Satori sighed and nodded. She hated it when he pointed out something she was doing wrong. He smiled and ruffled her hair._

"_Come on, kiddo."_

The muscles in her stomach where yelling at her to stop, but Satori kept pushing herself. The burning she could feel in her arms as they worked was too refreshing to think of anything else.

"_Ok, I want you to round-off and back-tuck. Land in a crouch, but don't hit the mat." He gestured at the blue rectangular prism lying on the floor; the two-and-a-half foot wide top was two feet off the ground. "Once you land, back-handspring over the mat, but this time hit the mat with your hands. Land on the opposite side. Got it?"_

_Satori nodded and sighed simultaneously, readying herself. Once her father had backed away, she ran and hurtled. Her hands hit the floor with a thud and she felt the exhilaration of her legs flying over her head, and then her entire body as it rolled through the air. She landed in a crouch, the perfect distance from the mat. Her legs strained as she pushed up and back handspringed over the mat, sticking her landing gracefully. Satori smiled._

_Her father let a smile show as well. Satori's face slipped at his half-hearted expression. He kept distancing himself more and more form her and her mother. Maybe he saw her reaction, because his smile broadened. Satori's fifteenth birthday was in two days, a full-fledged teenager. He was proud of her._

"_You want me to teach you how to do a gainer now?" he asked, completely aware of what her answer would be._

"_Yes!" she answered enthusiastically. "Why did you even ask?" she continued, grinning and making her way back towards her father. He shrugged at her in reply._

"_Ok, so we both know you know how to do a gainer. Just back tuck with one leg in front of the other." She nodded. "Now, let's actually try it. I'll spot you until you're comfortable enough doing it on your own, but I'll still be ready to jump in. Ok?"_

"_Ok," she nodded and took her stance. She bent her legs and doubled over, her body tensing for the jump. She released the pent-up energy and threw her arms over her head, gaining the necessary velocity. Her right leg flew ahead of the left, propelling her further through the air. Her father's hands held on to her torso, guiding her through the air and keeping her from falling if need be. She landed on her feet, but the momentum threw off her balance and she fell on her back, laughing._

"_You alright?" he asked._

"_That was _awesome_!" she exclaimed and jumped up. "Again." After about fifteen minutes of practice, Satori could land the gainer with no help from her father. Some of the landings were a little shaky, but she was impressed with how quickly she'd gotten it down. Her father looked at the clock and raised his eyebrows._

"_Time for bed, little missy," he said, earning a glare form his daughter. "You have school tomorrow and I should've made you leave before we started the gainers. Now, off you go before your mother has my head."_

"_Fine," Satori huffed and gave her father a hug and kiss on the cheek. "G'night," she chirped and left the room._

The punching bag toppled, rolling on the floor

"Damnit," Satori swore, breathing hard. She rested her hands on her knees, trying to get air into her lungs without feeling like she was about to throw up because of the wound on her stomach. "Why didn't he _tell us_?" she ground out. "It wouldn't have been that hard." She straightened and sighed, her breathing finally reaching equilibrium. "Like asking questions is going to do anything," she mumbled before leaving the room, not bothering to pick up the tipped piece of equipment.

She wandered into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She glanced at the clock on the oven.

"And there went another half an hour," she said bluntly, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch. The rain had refused to let up, and the sound of it hitting the roof drowned out almost all sound. It was maddening, really. Satori stood up suddenly and walked to the door leading to the backyard. Resting her weight on one foot, she twirled a strand of purple hair around her finger, thinking once again. She still wanted to know why this 'Akatsuki' had taken over her village. She also wasn't positive all of the people who had attacked were members of the organization. Her money was on them not.

Emerald eyes drifted over the soggy landscape outside, over the small pond in the middle of a sea of green, blurred colors under the wavering surface. The monotonous atmosphere seemed to seep into her being as she stared out the window, thinking of her situation, wondering at any possibility that could happen. She started pushing her weight back and forth, resting on one leg, the other, and back, in a constant rhythm. If she was lucky, she could get out of here in a week and a half. Satori chewed on her lip, wondering if an escape was worth the attempt. The fact that those running the village were now ninjas kept planting doubt into her head. Ninjas were… tricky.

The door slammed open and she jumped, swirling around quickly.

"What happened?" she asked, taking in Kisame's extremely peeved expression. Even Itachi looked visibly irate. Satori glided back into the parallel lines of furniture and sat on the couch again. Itachi took the opposite corner as Kisame hunkered down on one of the two armchairs across the coffee table. Samehada rested in his lap threateningly.

"Guard duty," Itachi offered quickly, the edge in his voice not completely concealed.

"We're going to be doing _nothing_!" Kisame ranted. "Absolutely, positively nothing for hours!"

"It'll only be for about four hours," his raven-haired partner said. Satori folded her left leg against her chest and wrapped her arms around it. "And it's only for a day until Leader gets the others to cooperate." As Satori rested her head on her knee, she couldn't help but think that Itachi was choosing his words carefully. "It's nothing to get angry over."

"Well, I could be doing something useful, like watching over the laborers doing whatever they're doing." Kisame was as well. Satori watched them analytically and Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"You'd kill anyone who slipped up." Satori couldn't help but snort.

"Surprise." Kisame glared at her. "What? You probably would considering the information I've gathered in the past two days."

"And what information is that?"

"Shark-man, you tried to kill me this morning because I embarrassed the hell out of you yesterday."

"So?" Satori rolled her eyes.

"Never mind."

"Oh! And why the hell did we have to sit there for for_ever_ while Leader drawled on and on about who was going to do what? Why couldn't we leave after he finished with us?" Itachi shrugged. Kisame looked around the room for a moment. "Where's Teppei?"

"Don't know, honestly don't care," Satori answered. "I was doing something and then came in here. Do you two have any idea how boring it is around here?" She sighed over-dramatically and looked at the clock. 12:37. _'Maybe they'll ask for lunch soon or something.' _Kisame got up without an excuse and wandered to his end of the house. Satori mused at how easy it was for her to accept that the east wing was his and Teppei's side, while the west was hers and Itachi's. She glanced at the boy in question, who was pointedly fiddling with his fingernails.

"Is this a normal day for you two or something?" Satori asked.

"M," Itachi nodded, a full answer not worth the brain-power, apparently, and laid his hand down on the armrest.

"Great," Satori muttered and straightened before making her way into her room once again. She was almost disappointed that she and Kisame hadn't gotten into an argument. He really was amusing, if frightening. In her room, Satori collapsed on her bed and heaved a sigh. "So bored," she whined again. She stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, this time trying to drain her mind of absolutely everything.

It didn't work very well.

"Satori," Itachi's muffled, smooth voice came through her door after a while. Her eyes snapped to the divider between her and him.

"What?" she asked, playing with her dark hair that was hanging off the edge of the bed.

"Kisame wants food. Teppei can't cook." Satori couldn't help but act annoyed, even though she was practically elated to have something to occupy her wandering mind.

"Can men just not cook or something?" she asked, swinging her legs down from the wall they were propped on. As she rolled up, the blood rushed to her head, making her vision swim momentarily. Itachi was still standing in front of her room when she opened the door.

"I prefer to stay away from cooking," he answered, circumventing the topic. He'd taken the heavy robe off and he looked completely average in the boring blue attire. But he still managed to seem haughty as he turned and walked down the hall. Satori shook her head and followed him into the living room.

"What do you want, shark-man?" she asked when she saw him in the kitchen. "You never ate your breakfast," she chided. A vein in Kisame's head throbbed and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Food," he said curtly.

"Really? I though you wanted glass. What _kind_ of food?" He shrugged. "Well, you're a great help," she muttered. She shooed him from the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator. A few minutes later, she had two slices of chicken breast on a cutting board. "I hope you like Yakitori," she announced and began to cut the chicken into smaller pieces. She stopped and turned around as she was getting spices.

Itachi and Kisame were staring at her.

"Must you stand there and watch me?" she asked, irritated and with an eyebrow cocked. Kisame shrugged again, while Itachi kept his face neutral. "Why don't you two go outside and throw your kunai and shurikens at stuff. I doubt the rain will really bother you." The two ninjas looked at each other. Only after Kisame shrugged for the third time in five minutes did they walk out the back.

"Women are so weird," Kisame said as they walked out into the Pein's never-ended torrent of rain. Itachi nodded in agreement. The two easily jumped the wall surrounding the property, Kisame following his partner. Behind the house, there was a stretch of dirt and rocks, about thirty feet wide. It ended abruptly at a line of trees, drooping as the sky seemed to weep for the village that was now under Akatsuki's control.

Itachi blinked the thoughts from his mind as the two stood teen feet from each other. A light tension settled over the two as they prepared. Their movements were blurred to any untrained eye, but the noises were easy enough to hear. Kisame's chakra was as suffocating as usual, its blue color sometimes blindingly bright in Itachi's Sharingan. They each punched and kicked at the other, only occasionally making contact. Itachi swiftly back flipped over a line of shuriken aimed at him as they warmed up.

Both stopped suddenly as a clang erupted from the silent woods.

Kisame's brow furrowed, looking at the lonesome trees, to his partner, and back. Itachi's eyes narrowed and they slowly walked the short distance to where the sound had been. Both were tense. They should've sensed another presence, especially so near. Kisame pulled a branch out of his way. They both let their own kunai fly when another shrub rustled. The metal thunked into a tree trunk, sinking in deep. Itachi barely controlled his confusion as he squatted down to the weapons.

"Ideas?" Kisame murmured. His big blue hand picked a single shuriken out of the air Itachi had just flicked at him.

"It's chipped." Kisame studied the metal.

"Doesn't tell us anything." Itachi reached out and grasped both kunai and yanked, effortlessly pulling the steal out of the wounded tree. He stood and faced his partner.

"Yo, Itachi! Shark-man!" Satori yelled from the wall. The two glanced through the screen of leaves and rain to see her head poked over the top of the fence. "Your food's ready!" Itachi casually handed Kisame back his weapon.

"Later?" Kisame asked, his normally loud voice quiet. Itachi nodded. At least he now had something new to mull over. The two jumped back over the wall, turning when Satori landed on the ground form the tree. It hadn't seemed like that long since the two had left to practice, but that wasn't odd.

"Showoff," she accused, walking between them. Kisame cast a smirk at her.

"Jealous," he called back.

"Shut up, shark-man. I made you food. You owe me the pleasure of being quiet for once."

* * *

So, I got about halfway through with this and then distracted myself watching MRD. Soooooorry. It was either that, or watch NLSG bonus footage stuff and end up depressing myself at the end of it. So I went with MRD, and then didn't work on it for the rest of the day. And then I started again while blaring D'espairsRay. ….. \ I get side-tracked, ok? And, surprisingly enough, I still had a hard time writing this chapter. It was Thursday at 11 o'clock, and I was like 'lalalalalalaOHSHIT, I gotta put the chapters up tomorrow and I'm not done. Crap, crap, crap.' See, I do love you guys.

We'll just ignore the fact that I wrote two sentences and then closed the file.

Also! So, yeah, Itachi is probably gonna be a liiiittle bit easier to write now. Yes, I'm referring to the manga.


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